WO2007052625A1

WO2007052625A1 - Audiovisual system

Info

Publication number: WO2007052625A1
Application number: PCT/JP2006/321694
Authority: WO
Inventors: Akifumi Sakamoto; Masahiko Mizoguchi; Toshiki Murakami; Akihiro Mitani; Koichi Otsuka; Mutsumi Itoga
Original assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2005-10-31
Filing date: 2006-10-31
Publication date: 2007-05-10
Also published as: US20090046210A1; EP1947843A1; EP1947843A4; JPWO2007052625A1

Abstract

An audiovisual system wherein the operability of user's selection between the internal speakers of a television set (TV) and the external speakers connected to an audio amplifier has been improved to reduce the burdensomeness of operation. When an audio amplifier (100A) is powered on, a control part (106A) of the audio amplifier (100A) judges that the use of external speakers (105) connected to the audio amplifier (100A) has been selected, and then transmits a control signal, which is used to drive internal speakers (205) of a TV (200A) into a mute state, to a control part (206A) of the TV (200A) via a communication means (300). Conversely, when the audio amplifier (100A) is powered off, the control part (106A) judges that the use of the internal speakers (205) of the TV (200A) has been selected, and then transmits a control signal, which is used to cancel the mute state of the internal speakers (205), to the control part (206A) of the TV (200A) via the communication means (300).

Description

Audiovisual viewing system

Technical field

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a video / audio playback device such as a television receiver having an internal speaker, and an audio playback device such as an audio amplifier connected to an external speaker, and further to a DVD player. The present invention relates to a video and audio viewing system including AV equipment such as DVD recorders.

Background art

[0002] A video / audio viewing system generally called a home theater system that realizes a realistic feeling like a movie theater at home by connecting an audio amplifier to a television receiver (hereinafter referred to as "TV") is becoming popular. is there. The user can select either the external speaker connected to the audio amplifier of the home theater system or the internal speaker of the TV and enjoy the sound output from the selected speaker.

[0003] For example, when enjoying powerful sound using an audio amplifier, the user first operates the TV remote control to reduce the volume of the internal speaker. Next, the user operates the audio amplifier remote control to turn on the audio amplifier and adjust the volume of the external speaker.

[0004] After that, when a situation in which a loud sound is not allowed, such as at night, the user needs to switch to the sound of the internal speaker instead of the external speaker. In this case, the user must turn off the audio amplifier or turn down the volume of the external speaker and adjust the volume of the internal speaker of the TV.

[0005] In the video / audio viewing system described above, when using an external speaker of an audio amplifier, or when switching an external speaker to an internal speaker, the user adjusts the volume of each speaker according to the speaker used ( Including power operation) must be performed manually. Such individual manual operation is cumbersome and troublesome for the user.

[0006] Annoying that the user individually operates each speaker before and after switching A technique for solving this problem has been proposed (Patent Document 1, Patent Document 2). Specifically, there is disclosed a TV amplifier that can easily switch audio output between an internal speaker and an external speaker. That is, the user is configured to selectively switch between the internal speaker and the external speaker using a switch by a remote controller or the like.

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-153520

Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-79896

Disclosure of the invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

[0007] By using the above-described method of switching speakers for outputting sound using the remote controller, the operability of selecting a speaker to be used is improved. However, troublesome operations such as powering an unused amplifier or reducing the volume of a speaker are not improved.

[0008] In addition, during playback of TV sound with an external speaker of an audio amplifier, an abnormality may occur on the audio amplifier side, and sound may not be output. Possible causes of such abnormalities include a cable that connects the TV and the audio amplifier, an audio amplifier that is turned off, or an internal error in the audio amplifier. In this case, the user's request for viewing music is not satisfied.

[0009] In view of the above-mentioned problems of the conventional audiovisual viewing system, the present invention can select individual speaker power required by the user, including power operation and volume adjustment when using external speaker power. The purpose is to provide a video and audio viewing system that improves operability and reduces the troublesomeness of operation.

Means for solving the problem

[0010] In order to achieve the above object, a video / audio viewing system according to the present invention includes a video / audio reproduction device that reproduces video and audio, an audio reproduction device that outputs external speaker power, and the video / audio reproduction device and A communication means connected between the audio reproduction devices, and an audio signal selected from a plurality of audio signals is sent to either the internal speaker of the video / audio reproduction device or the external speaker of the audio reproduction device A video / audio viewing system for outputting, (a) The video / audio reproduction device includes:

A first audio output control unit that controls the output to the internal speaker (205) using the selected audio signal as an input;

A first control unit that controls at least the first audio output control unit,

(b) The sound reproducing device includes:

A second audio output control unit that controls the output to the external speaker using the selected audio signal as an input;

A second control unit that controls at least the second audio output control unit,

(c) The first control unit and the second control unit can communicate with each other via the communication unit, and the first control unit is based on information obtained through the communication unit. The first audio output control unit is controlled.

[0011] The second control unit of the video / audio viewing system according to the present invention is based on whether the power of the sound reproducing device is on or off with respect to the first control unit via the communication unit. Preferably, the first control signal is transmitted, and the first control unit controls the first audio output control unit in accordance with the received first control signal.

In addition, when the first control unit receives a signal indicating that the power is on as the first control signal, the internal speaker is in a mute state and receives a signal indicating that the power is off. In some cases, it is preferable to control the first audio output control unit so that the mute state of the internal speaker is released.

[0012] The first control unit transmits a second control signal instructing to turn on or off the power of the sound reproduction device to the second control unit, and the second control unit receives the second control signal. Based on the second control signal, the power on / off of the sound reproduction device is controlled, and the first control signal based on the power on / off state is transmitted to the first control pole. Hey.

[0013] Further, the video / audio viewing system according to the present invention is configured to turn on or off the power of the sound reproduction device from a third control unit provided in a third device having a reproduction function of a video signal and an audio signal. The second control unit transmits a third control signal instructing to the second control unit, and the second control unit is configured to turn on the power of the sound reproduction device based on the received third control signal. And a first control signal based on the on / off state of the power supply may be transmitted to the first control unit.

[0014] The first control unit of the audiovisual viewing system according to the present invention monitors a communication state with the second control unit, and the internal speaker is muted in a communicable state. It is preferable to control the first audio output control unit as described above, and to control the first audio output control unit so that the mute state of the internal speech force is canceled when communication is disabled.

[0015] Preferably, the video / audio viewing system according to the present invention further includes an audio input selection unit that selects one audio signal from a plurality of audio signals. The audio input selection unit may include a first audio input selection unit built in the video / audio reproduction device and a second audio input selection unit built in the audio reproduction device.

[0016] Preferably, the video / audio viewing system according to the present invention further includes a first audio processing unit that performs a necessary process on the audio signal output from the first audio input selection unit. In addition, the video / audio viewing system according to the present invention preferably further includes a second audio processing unit that performs necessary processing on the audio signal output from the second audio input selection unit.

[0017] In addition, the video / audio reproduction device according to the present invention that achieves the above object constitutes a video / audio viewing system together with an audio reproduction device that outputs audio from an external speaker, and receives an audio signal selected from a plurality of audio signals. , An audio / video reproduction device that outputs to either the external speaker of the sound reproduction device or the internal speaker of the device,

An audio output control unit for controlling the output to the internal speaker by using the selected audio signal as an input;

A controller capable of communicating with the sound reproduction device via a communication means, and at least controlling the audio output controller;

The control unit controls the audio output control unit based on information obtained through the communication means.

[0018] Further, an audio reproducing apparatus according to the present invention that achieves the above object constitutes a video / audio viewing system together with a video / audio reproducing apparatus that reproduces video and audio, and includes a plurality of audio signals. An audio reproduction device that outputs a selected audio signal to either an internal speaker of the video / audio reproduction device or an external speaker connected to the audio / video reproduction device, wherein the external speaker receives the selected audio signal as an input. An audio output control unit for controlling the audio output of

A communication unit capable of communicating with each other via the video / audio reproduction device and a communication unit, and at least a control unit that controls the audio output control unit;

The control unit transmits a first control signal based on a power-on or off state to the control unit of the video / audio reproduction device via the communication unit.

The invention's effect

[0019] The present invention improves the selectivity of the internal speaker and the external speaker when the audio is output in the audio / video viewing system that outputs the sound of either the internal speaker or the external speaker. This can improve the performance and reduce the troublesome operation. Brief Description of Drawings

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a video / audio viewing system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a method for controlling an internal speaker when audio of a television broadcast is reproduced in the video / audio viewing system according to Embodiment 1 shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation on the audio amplifier side in the method of controlling the internal speaker by the video / audio viewing system described in FIG.

[FIG. 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation on the TV side in the method of controlling the internal speaker by the video / audio viewing system described in FIG.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of an internal speaker control method when a DVD is played back in the video / audio viewing system according to Embodiment 1 shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a video / audio viewing system according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an internal speech power control operation performed by the video / audio viewing system according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION [0021] Before specifically describing an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings, first, an operation principle of a video / audio viewing system according to the present invention will be described. As described above, the present invention improves the operability of selecting the speaker to be used among the internal speakers and the external speakers connected to the audio amplifier included in the conventional video / audio reproduction device, as well as the power operation and volume adjustment of the audio amplifier. The purpose is to improve the operability required for the operation and reduce the troublesomeness of the operation.

[0022] In order to achieve this object, in the present invention, when a TV having an internal speaker constituting the video / audio viewing system is in an on state, the power of the audio amplifier to which the external speaker is connected is When the user performs an on or off operation, either the internal speaker or the external speaker is automatically selected. The selected speaker is controlled so as to output sound, and the speaker that is not selected is controlled so as not to output sound (mute). In other words, sound is output only with either one of the internal and external speakers.

[0023] (Embodiment 1)

The video / audio viewing system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. FIG. Figure 1 shows the configuration of the audiovisual viewing system. The video / audio viewing system VA1 includes an audio amplifier 100A and a TV 200A. The audio amplifier 100A is an audio playback device, and the TV 200A is a video / audio playback device.

[0024] The TV 200A includes a TV tuner 201, an audio input selection unit (hereinafter referred to as "AIS") 202, an audio processing unit 203A, a volume control unit 204, an internal speaker 205, a control unit 206A, a video input selection unit ( (Hereinafter referred to as “VIS”) 210, image processing section 211 A and display 212. The input terminal 209 is connected to a set top box (hereinafter referred to as “STB”) 214 which is an external device and receives satellite broadcast and CATV signals. Further, the input terminal 208 is connected to the output terminal 108 of the audio amplifier 100A through a cord 700 which is a transmission means for video signals and audio signals.

The audio amplifier 100A includes an AIS 102, an audio processing unit 103A, an audio control unit 104, a control unit 106A, a VIS 110, a remote control receiving unit 113, an operation button 114, and a power source 115. Ma The terminal 109 is connected to a video deck 400, a DVD player 500A, and a CD player 600, which are external devices. The control unit 106A is preferably configured with a microcomputer (hereinafter abbreviated as “microcomputer”), similarly to the control unit 206A. Note that a multi-channel speaker 105 is connected to the audio amplifier 100A as an external speaker. For convenience of explanation, the multi-channel speaker 105 is also referred to as an external speaker 105.

[0026] When the power of the TV 200A having the internal speaker 205 is on, the audio amplifier 100A is first turned on / off to determine whether or not the audio output of the internal speaker 205 of the TV 200A can be output. . That is, the audio amplifier 100A generates a control signal (command) based on the on / off state of the power supply and transmits it to the TV 200A. Based on this control signal, the TV 200A determines whether or not to output audio from the internal speaker 205, and follows the determination!音声 Perform the required audio processing.

[0027] The act of turning on the audio amplifier 100A by the user is an act of allowing the user to output sound from an external speaker (multi-channel speaker) 105 connected to the audio amplifier 100A. In other words, in the present invention in which only one of the internal speaker 205 and the external speaker 105 can be output, the act of turning on the audio amplifier 10 OA means that the user wants to listen to the audio from the external speaker. It can be regarded as the appearance of.

Based on this understanding, when the power of the audio amplifier 100A is turned on, it is determined that the audio output from the internal speaker 205 of the TV 200A is no. Therefore, processing for prohibiting or silencing the audio output from the internal speaker force 205 is executed. The external speaker 105 can automatically output audio when the audio amplifier 100A is turned on, so that no special processing is required.

[0029] The basic operation of video / audio reproduction by the TV 200A and the audio amplifier 100A will be specifically described below before describing the processing for the internal speaker 205 according to the present invention.

[0030] In the TV 200A, the AIS 202 is connected to the TV tuner 201, STB 214, and the output terminal 108 of the audio amplifier 100A built in the TV based on the control of the control unit 206A. Select one audio signal from the output audio signals. The instruction to the control unit 206A is performed by a user operation using a remote controller or the like as will be described later. The audio processing unit 203A performs necessary processing on the audio signal Sal selected by the AIS 202.

The volume control unit 204 performs processing on the audio signal Sa2 output from the audio processing unit 203A so that the audio output from the internal speaker 205 has a volume specified by the user. Note that the volume controlled by the volume control unit 204 includes a muted level in which the sound from the internal speaker 205 is not output and is in a “silenced state”. The audio signal Sal output from the AIS 202 is transmitted from the terminal 209 to the input terminal 109 of the audio amplifier 100A via the code 800.

[0032] The VIS 210 selectively outputs one video signal from the video signals output from the TV tuner 201, the STB 214, and the output terminal 108 of the audio amplifier 100A based on the control of the control unit 206A. The video signal selection by the AIS 202 and the video signal selection control by the VIS 210 by the control unit 206A are executed based on an instruction given by the user to the TV 200A using means (not shown) such as a remote controller.

[0033] The video processing unit 211A generates a video signal that has been subjected to processing capable of video display on the display 212 based on the video signal output from the VIS 210. The video signal from the video processing unit 211 A is also input to the display 212. The display 212 displays video based on the input video signal.

Control unit 206A is preferably configured with a microcomputer. The control unit 206A is connected to each component such as the AIS 202 and the volume control unit 204 as indicated by broken arrows (partially omitted), exchanges various signals, and controls the operation of each component. . Here, the control unit 206A may be divided into a plurality of parts corresponding to the operation control of each component.

The control unit 206A is connected to the control unit 106A of the audio amplifier 100A by the communication means 300. Then, control unit 206A receives control signal Scl from control unit 106A via communication means 300. The control signal Scl is a force generated by the control unit 106A as a command for instructing the TV 200A to perform a predetermined process in accordance with a user instruction or the state of the audio amplifier 100A. This will be described in detail later.

[0036] Control unit 206A analyzes received control signal Scl, and executes a command of the control signal Scl. Recognize the contents of (instruction). Then, according to the recognized command

Controls the operation of each component of the TV 200A.

[0037] Next, the operation of the audio amplifier 100A will be described. As indicated by a broken line (partially omitted) in FIG. 1, the control unit 106A is connected to each component such as the AIS 102 and the volume control unit 104 and exchanges various signals to control the operation of each component. To do. The control unit 106A analyzes the signal from the operation button 114 or the remote control signal input from the remote control receiving unit 113, and controls the power supplied from the power source 115 to each unit by the power switch 116. . Here, like the control unit 206A, the control unit 106A may be divided into a plurality of parts corresponding to the operation control of each component.

[0038] AIS 102 selectively outputs one audio signal from audio signals output from video deck 400, DVD player 5 OOA, CD player 600, and TV 200A based on the control of control unit 106A. The audio processing unit 103A performs predetermined audio processing on the audio signal Sbl output from the AIS 102 by a digital surround decoder to generate an audio signal Sb2.

The volume control unit 104 processes the audio signal Sb 2 so that the audio output from the external speaker 105 has a volume specified by the user, and outputs the processed audio signal Sb 2 to the external speaker 105.

[0040] Based on the control of the control unit 106A, the VIS 110 selectively outputs one video signal from the video signals output from the video deck 400 and the DVD player 5 OOA. The video signal output from the VIS 110 is transmitted from the output terminal 108 to the input terminal 208 of the TV 200A. The signal source of the video signal selected by VIS110 and the audio signal selected by AIS102 are the same. That is, the same signal source is either the video deck 400 or the DVD player 500A having the video signal and the audio signal.

[0041] It should be noted that the control unit 206A of the TV 200A and the control unit 106A of the audio amplifier 100A send a command that conforms to Consumer Electronics Control (CEC), which is an optional standard of the HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) standard, which will be described later, as a communication means. It can be configured to send and receive to / from each other via 300.

[0042] The control unit 106A of the audio amplifier 100A and the control unit 206A of the TV 200A have constant power even when the power switch 116 (the TV 200A side is not shown) is off. Is supplied. This is so that the control signal can be received even if the sound is output from the internal speaker 205 or the multi-channel speaker 105 and the device is in a so-called standby state.

[0043] In the standby state, the AIS 102 and the VIS 110 are supplied with the minimum power necessary for selecting the video signal and the audio signal. Similarly, AIS 202 and VIS 210 are supplied with the minimum power necessary for selecting the video signal and the audio signal. When outputting sound from the internal speaker 205, necessary power is supplied to the sound processing unit 203A and the volume control unit 204 from a power supply (not shown) built in the TV 200A.

[0044] Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 4, and FIG. 5, a method of controlling internal speaker 205 by video / audio viewing system VA1 according to the present embodiment will be specifically described. FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the audio / video viewing system VA1 as in FIG. 1. For convenience in explaining the control method of the internal speaker 205 when the TV broadcast is played, the video of the STB 214 and the audio amplifier 100A is shown. Deck 400, DVD player 500A, and CD player 600 are shown!

The flowchart of FIG. 3 shows a control operation (command generation) of the control unit 106A for control of the internal speaker 205 in relation to turning on / off the power of the audio amplifier 100A. The flowchart in FIG. 4 shows the control operation of the control unit 206A of the TV 200A corresponding to the control operation of the control unit 106A of the audio amplifier 100A.

[0046] FIG. 5 shows the structure of the video / audio viewing system VA1 as in FIG. 1. For convenience of explanation of the control method of the internal speaker 205 when a DVD is played, the video of the STB 214 and the audio amplifier 100A is shown. The deck 400 and the CD player 600 are shown !, while the internal structure of the DVD player 500A is shown!

Control Unit 106A Force As described above, the control signal Scl is output as a command to the TV 20 OA in accordance with a user instruction or the state of the audio amplifier 100A. The control unit 106A controls the operation of the power switch 116 and generates a control signal Scl corresponding to the on / off state. Based on the control signal Scl, the TV 200A adjusts the volume of the internal speaker 205. The control signal Scl in this case is a command for instructing the volume adjustment of the built-in speaker 205 (hereinafter referred to as “volume control command”). [0048] The volume control command can be further classified into a mute command and a mute release command according to the content of the volume adjustment instruction to the built-in speaker 205. That is, when the volume of the internal speaker 205 is increased, the control signal Scl is a mute release command for instructing the control unit 206A to mute release. Similarly, when the volume of the internal speaker 205 is decreased, the control signal Scl is a mute command that instructs the control unit 206A to mute.

[0049] In the following, control of internal speaker 205 by video / audio viewing system VA1 will be described for <when TV broadcast sound is reproduced> and <when DVD is reproduced>.

[0050] <When TV broadcast audio is played>

As described above, according to the present invention, when the internal speaker 205 of the home theater system VA1 is in the on state, that is, when the TV 200A is in the power on state, the user is connected to the external speaker 105! One of the internal speaker 205 and the external speaker 105 is automatically selected based on the on / off operation! In other words, the control of the internal speaker 205 according to the present invention starts when the TV 200A is powered on and the power 115 of the audio amplifier 100A is turned on / off.

That is, before the control of the internal speaker 205 according to the present invention is started, the TV 200A is in a power-on state. At this time, AIS 202 selects an audio signal output from TV tuner 201 based on an instruction from control unit 206A. The audio processing unit 203A generates an audio signal Sa2 based on the selected audio signal Sal. The audio signal Sa2 is output from the internal speaker 205 as audio having a specified volume via the volume control unit 204.

On the other hand, the VIS 210 selects the video signal output from the TV tuner 201 based on an instruction from the control unit 206A. The selected video signal is processed by the video processing unit 211A. The video signal output from the video control unit 211A is displayed on the display 212 as a video.

[0053] As described above, a case where the user is enjoying audio output from the internal speaker 205 of the TV 200A and the audio output from the TV tuner 201 is switched to multi-channel broadcast audio will be considered. In this case, the user uses the multi-channel speaker 105 of the audio amplifier 100A instead of the internal speaker 205 to generate powerful sound. In order to enjoy sound, when the power 115 of the audio amplifier 100A is turned on, control of the internal speaker power 205 is started.

Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 3, the operation of the control unit 106A related to turning on / off of the power supply 115 of the audio amplifier 100A will be described in detail.

[0055] In step S301, control unit 106A analyzes the remote control command, and performs on / off control of power supply 115 in accordance with the instruction content of the command.

If it is determined in step S302 that the power supply 115 is in the “on state”, the control unit 106

Control of A proceeds to step S303.

In step S303, control unit 106A generates control signal Scl as a mute command so as not to output sound from internal speaker 205 of TV 200A. Control signal Scl

The (silence command) is input to the control unit 206A of the TV 200A via the communication unit 300.

On the other hand, when it is determined in step S302 described above that power supply 115 is in the “off state”.

Then, the control of the control unit 106A proceeds to step S304.

[0059] In step S304, control unit 106A generates control signal Scl as a mute release command in order to output sound from internal speaker 205 of TV 200A. Control signal Scl

The (silence cancellation command) is input to the control unit 206A of the TV 200A via the communication means 300.

[0060] In the flowchart described above, the power source 115 is turned on when the user presses the power button on the remote controller. That is, in response to pressing of the remote control button, the power supply remote control command is input from the receiving unit 113 to the control unit 106A.

Next, the operation of the control unit 206A of the TV 200A corresponding to the operation of the control unit 106A of the audio amplifier 100A will be described with reference to FIG. First, in step S401, it is determined whether or not the control signal Scl input to the control unit 206A is a volume control command, that is, the control signal Scl input to the control unit 206A in step S303 described above. If it is not a volume control command, processing according to the input command is performed in step S402. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S401 described above that the input control signal Scl is a sound volume control command, control proceeds to step S403.

[0062] In step S403, the volume control command is a mute command and a mute release command. Is determined. If it is determined that the command is a mute command, the audio output from the internal speaker 205 is muted in step S404.

If it is determined in step S403 that the command is a mute release command, the mute of the internal speaker 205 or the audio output is released in step S405.

[0064] The power supply 115 is turned on by the user pressing the power button on the remote control.

(Step S301), it is determined that the power supply 115 is in an on state (Step S302), and a control signal Scl that is a mute command is transmitted to the control unit 206A (Step S303).

Further, control unit 206A determines that control signal Scl to which control unit 106A is also transmitted is a mute command of a volume control command (steps S401 and S403), and internal speaker force 205 is muted (step S404). . In this way, when the user turns on the power supply 115 of the audio amplifier 100A, the internal speaker 205 is muted and audio is output from the external speaker 105.

More specifically, the audio signal Sal output from the AIS 202 force of the TV 200A is also input to the AIS 102 of the audio amplifier 100A via the terminal 209, the cord 800, and the terminal 109. When the audio amplifier 100A enters the “power-on state”, the AIS 102 selects the audio signal output from the TV tuner 201 based on an instruction from the control unit 106A. The audio signal Sbl (same as the audio signal Sal) from the TV tuner 201 is subjected to predetermined processing such as multi-channel processing by the audio processing unit 103A to become an audio signal Sb2. The audio signal S b2 is output from the multi-channel speaker 105 after the volume is adjusted by the volume controller 104.

[0067] Next, as described above, the user turns off the power of the audio amplifier 100A while the audio amplifier 100A is "powered on" and the internal speaker 205 is muted and the audio is output from the external speaker 105. For example, a case where the power button in the operation button 114 is pressed will be described. Control unit 106A analyzes the button operation in step S301 in FIG. The control unit 106A determines that there is an instruction to turn off the power based on the analysis result, and turns off the power switch 116 to place the audio amplifier 100A in the “power off state”.

[0068] In step S302, it is determined that the power is off. In step S304, In order to output sound from the internal speaker 205 of the TV 200A, a control signal Scl is transmitted to the control unit 206A as a mute release command.

[0069] Further, control unit 206A determines that control signal Scl to which control unit 106A has also been transmitted is a mute release command of a volume control command (steps S401 and S403), and mute release of internal speaker 205 (steps) S405). In this way, when the user turns off the power source 115 of the audio amplifier 100A, the mute of the internal speaker 205 is released and sound is output from the internal speaker 205. At this time, since the audio amplifier 100A is in the “power off state”, no sound is output from the multi-channel speaker 105.

As described above, when the power switch 116 of the audio amplifier 100A is turned on, the sound of the TV tuner 201 built in the TV 200A is output from the multichannel speaker 105 of the audio amplifier 100A. As a result, no sound is output from the internal speaker 205 of the TV 200A.

[0071] Conversely, when the power switch 116 of the audio amplifier 100A is turned from on to off, no sound is output from the multichannel speaker 105. The sound of the built-in TV tuner 201 of the TV 200A is output from the internal speaker 205.

As described above, the case where the TV broadcast is viewed with the internal TV tuner 201 has been described. However, the same effect can be obtained when the TV broadcast received with the STB 214 connected to the input terminal 209 is reproduced.

[0073] <When a DVD is played>

Referring to Fig. 3, Fig. 4, and Fig. 5, the content recorded on the DVD is

Control of the internal speaker 205 when reproducing with OOA will be described. As described above, in FIG. 5, the display of the STB 214, the video deck 400, and the CD player 600 shown in FIG. 1 is omitted.

First, the case where the power switch 116 of the audio amplifier 100A is turned off and is in the “power off state” will be described. The VIS 110 selects the video signal output from the DVD player 500A based on an instruction from the control unit 106A. The video signal output from VIS110 is sent to VIS210 of TV200A via output terminal 108 and input terminal 209. Entered. Since the subsequent processing is the same as that when the TV broadcast received by the TV tuner 201 is reproduced, the description thereof is omitted.

On the other hand, AIS 102 selects an audio signal output from DVD player 500A among a plurality of audio signals based on an instruction from control unit 106A. The audio signal Sbl output from the AIS 102 is input to the AIS 202 of the TV 200A via the output terminal 108 and the input terminal 208. The AIS 202 selects the audio signal Sbl from the DVD player 500A.

The audio signal Sal (same as the audio signal Sbl) output from the AIS 202 is subjected to necessary processing in the audio processing unit 203 A to become an audio signal Sa2. The sound signal Sa2 is output as sound from the internal speaker 205 after the volume is adjusted by the volume control unit 204. At this time, since the audio amplifier 100A is in the “power off state”, the audio is not output from the multi-channel speaker 105 connected to the audio amplifier 100A!

[0077] Next, a case where a powerful sound is enjoyed using the multi-channel speaker 105 of the audio amplifier 100A will be described. For example, the user presses the power button of the remote control (not shown) of the audio amplifier 100A. A power supply remote control command is input from the remote control receiving unit 113 to the control unit 106A. Control unit 106A analyzes the command (step S301 in FIG. 3). If the control unit 106A determines that there is an instruction to turn on the power source 115, the control unit 106A controls the power switch 116 to turn on to place the audio amplifier 100A in the “power on state”. At this time, the control unit 106A transmits a mute command to the control unit 206A of the TV 200A via the communication means 300 so that no sound is output from the internal speaker 205 of the TV 200A (step of FIG. 3). S302 and S303).

The control unit 206A of the TV 200A that has received the mute command controls the volume control unit 204 so that no sound is output from the internal speaker 205 (steps S401, S402, and S403 in FIG. 4).

[0079] AIS 102 selects an audio signal output from DVD player 500A based on an instruction from control unit 106A. The audio signal Sb 1 output from the AIS 102 is subjected to necessary processing by the audio processing unit 103A to become an audio signal Sb2. The sound signal Sb2 is output as sound from the multi-channel speaker 105 after the sound volume is adjusted by the volume control unit 104.

Next, in order for the user to turn off the power of the audio amplifier 100A, for example, an operation button is used. The case where the power button in the screen 114 is pressed will be described. The control unit 106A analyzes the button operation and controls the power switch 116 to turn off to place the audio amplifier 100A in the “power-off state” (step S301 in FIG. 3). At this time, the control unit 106A mutes the volume of the internal speaker 205 back to the control unit 206A of the TV 200A via the communication means 300 so that sound is output from the internal speaker power 205 of the TV 200A. Send a release command (steps S302 and S304 in Fig. 3). Control unit 206A that received this command, controls the sound volume control unit 204, the audio from the internal speaker 205 to cancel the mute state to so that the output (step S401 in FIG. 4, S403, S405) _o

Accordingly, when the power switch 116 of the audio amplifier 100A is turned on and the power is turned on, the sound of the DVD player 500A is output from the multi-channel speaker 105 of the audio amplifier 100A. At the same time, no sound is output from the internal speaker 205 of the TV 200A. Conversely, when the power switch 116 of the audio amplifier 100A is off, no sound is output from the multichannel speaker 105, and the sound of the DVD player 500A is output from the internal speaker 205 of the TV 200A.

In the present embodiment, the user turns on / off the power source by turning on / off the power switch 116 of the audio amplifier 100A using the remote control of the audio amplifier 100A. However, it is also possible to turn on / off the power switch 116 of the audio amplifier 100A using a remote controller for the TV 200A. Specifically, a power supply remote control command for the audio amplifier 100A is input to the control unit 206A using a remote control for the TV 200A. The control unit 206A analyzes the command and sends a control signal Sc2 instructing on / off of the power switch 116 to the control unit 106A of the audio amplifier 100A as shown in FIG.

[0083] When such an operation method is used, the power switch 116 of the audio amplifier 100A can be turned on / off using a GUI menu or the like displayed on the display 212 of the TV 200A. As a result, the operability of this system is further improved because the speaker can be switched by simply operating the TV remote control.

Similarly, a control signal for instructing power on / off of the audio amplifier 100A from the control unit of the external device connected to the system to the control unit 106A of the audio amplifier 100A. You may make it send. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, a control signal Sc3 for instructing on / off of the power switch 116 is sent from the control unit 501 of the DVD player 500A to the control unit 106A of the audio amplifier 100A. In this way, since the switching of the spinning force can be performed only by operating the DVD player 500A, the same effect as when using the TV remote control can be obtained.

[0085] As described above, in the present embodiment, the switching of the internal speaker 205 of the TV 200A and the multi-channel speaker 105 of the audio amplifier 100A is automatically switched only by turning on / off the power switch 116 of the audio amplifier 100A. To be done. As a result, it is possible to provide a video and audio viewing system that improves the operability of selecting individual speakers required by the user and reduces the troublesome operation.

In the present embodiment, volume control unit 204 of TV 200A is an example of the audio output control unit of the present invention. In order to prevent sound from being output from the internal speaker 205, the sound volume control unit 204 employs a method of muting, that is, reducing the volume, but is not limited thereto.

[0087] For example, as the audio output control unit, a unit having a function of blocking signal transmission with the internal speaker 205 in addition to the function of reducing the volume is used. Further, by disconnecting a switch or the like in the audio output control unit based on an instruction from the control unit 206A, it is possible to completely prevent the audio from being output from the internal speaker 205. Furthermore, the audio output from the internal speaker 205 can also be blocked by controlling the AIS 202 based on the instruction of the control unit 206A and blocking the audio signal from being output from the AIS 202. The volume control unit 104 of the audio amplifier 100A is the same as the volume control unit 204.

In the present embodiment, AIS 202 and AIS 102 are examples of the voice input selection unit of the present invention. In this embodiment, an audio input selection unit is provided for each of TV 200A and audio amplifier 100A, but it is provided only for either TV 200A or audio amplifier 100A corresponding to the generation source of the video signal and audio signal. May be. Furthermore, an audio input selection unit may be provided separately from the TV 200A and the audio amplifier 100A, and the output connected to the input of the TV 200A and the audio amplifier 100A.

[0089] In the present embodiment, the audio amplifier uses the control signal for the volume of the TV. However, it is possible to notify the power status of the audio amplifier and the predefined control signal instead, and let the TV control the volume based on this information.

In the present embodiment, the control signal corresponding to each of turning on and off the power switch 116 of the audio amplifier 100A is generated, but either the power switch is turned on or off. It is also possible to generate a control signal corresponding to only the change in the above.

[0091] (Embodiment 2)

With reference to FIG. 6, a video / audio viewing system according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described. 6, parts having the same functions as those of the components of the video / audio viewing system VA1 shown in FIG. 1 are given the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

That is, the video / audio viewing system VA2 according to the present embodiment includes a TV 200B and an audio amplifier 1 OOB, and further, an audio amplifier 1 OOB and external devices such as a DVD player 500B and a DVD recorder 700, which are cables compliant with the HDMI standard. 900 (hereinafter referred to as “HDMI cable”). By using the HDMI cable 900, a line for transmitting audio signals and video signals and a line for transmitting control signals compliant with the CEC standard can be included in one cable. As a result, connection between devices becomes easy.

First, signal transmission via the HDMI cable 900 will be briefly described. In FIG. 6, for example, a video signal and an audio signal output from the DVD player 500B are transmitted to the audio amplifier 100B via the HDMI cable 900. Similarly, the video signal and audio signal output from the audio amplifier 100B are transmitted to the TV 200B via the HDMI cable 900. The TV 200B, the AV amplifier 100B, and the DVD player 500B can transmit and receive the above-described CEC-compliant control commands (hereinafter referred to as “CEC signals”) via the HDMI cable 900. This CEC signal is used as a volume control command in the same manner as the control signal Scl in the video / audio viewing system VA1.

The HDMI cable 900 includes a CEC line 901 that transmits a CEC signal and a video / audio line 902 that transmits a video signal and an audio signal. Each control part 206B, 106B and 501B of TV200B, audio amplifier 100B and DVD player 500B is C CEC signals can be sent and received via EC line 901. On the other hand, each device can transmit a video signal and an audio signal between the HDMI receiving unit and the HDMI transmitting unit via the video / audio line 902.

[0095] From the viewpoint of copyright protection, in order to prevent the unscrambled video signal and audio signal from existing on the HDMI cable 900, the video signal and the audio signal are transmitted from the HD Ml receiver and the HDMI transmitter. Is transmitted through. Further, the video signal and audio signal transmitted on the HDMI cable 900 are basically digital signals.

Next, components newly provided corresponding to the HDMI cable 900 will be described. The control unit 106B of the audio amplifier 100B performs processing according to the CEC signal received via the HDMI connectors 117 and 118. For example, the control unit 106B outputs the audio signal received by the HDMI receiving unit 119 to the digital audio input unit 121. Further, the control unit 106B outputs the video signal and the audio signal received by the HDMI receiving unit 119 from the HDMI transmitting unit 120 to the HDMI cable 900 again.

[0097] The HDMI receiving unit 119 cancels the scramble of the video signal and the audio signal, which are also sent by the DVD player 500B via the video / audio line 902 of the HDMI cable 900, using the encryption key. On the other hand, the HDMI transmission unit 120 scrambles the video signal and audio signal descrambled by the HDMI reception unit 119 again with the encryption key, and then sends the video signal and audio signal to the video / audio line 902 of the HDMI cable 900.

[0098] HDMI receiving section 217 descrambles the video signal and audio signal input via HDMI connector 215 using an encryption key. The scrambled video signal is output to the video processing unit 211B. The video processing unit 211B performs decoding processing and necessary processing on the video signal. Also, the scrambled audio signal is output to the audio processing unit 203B. The audio processing unit 203B performs decoding processing and necessary processing on the audio signal.

In the present embodiment, transmission of the video signal and the audio signal using the video'audio line 902 of the HDMI cable 900 is set so that the audio amplifier 100B force is transmitted only in the direction of the TV 200B. Therefore, using the HDMI cable 900, the TV 200 B power cannot transmit an audio signal to the audio amplifier 100B. [0100] Therefore, a dedicated line for transmitting an audio signal from the TV 200B to the audio amplifier 100B is provided. Specifically, the audio signal output from the digital audio output unit 218 of the TV 200B is transmitted to the digital audio input unit 121 of the audio amplifier 100B via the output terminal 209, the code 800, and the input terminal 108. The digital audio output unit 218 and the digital audio input unit 121 have functions of converting an electrical signal into an optical signal and converting an optical signal into an electrical signal, for example, when transmitting an audio signal using an optical cable. ing.

[0101] The HDMI receiving unit 119 of the audio amplifier 100B has the same functions as those of the AIS102 and VIS 110 in Fig. 1 in addition to the functions described above. In other words, based on the control of the control unit 106B, the HDMI receiving unit 119 selects between the video signal and the audio signal transferred from the DVD player 500B and the DVD recorder 700. The digital audio input unit 121 has the same function as the AIS 102 in FIG. The digital audio input unit 121 receives any one of the audio signal output from the HDMI receiving unit 119, the audio signal output from the CD player 600, and the audio signal transmitted from the TV 200B via the input terminal 108. The selection is made based on the control of the control unit 106B.

[0102] The HDMI receiver 217 of the TV 200B also has the same function as the AIS 202 and VIS 210 in FIG. Specifically, the HDMI receiving unit 217 controls the video signal and audio signal output from the BS digital tuner connected to the HDMI connector 215 and the audio signal via the HDMI cable 900 based on the control of the control unit 206B. Select either video signal or audio signal transferred from amplifier 100B. Of the selected signals, the video signal is input to the video processing unit 211B, and the audio signal is input to the audio processing unit 203B.

[0103] Next, the operation of each unit when a TV broadcast audio signal received by BS digital tuner 216 is output from multichannel speaker 105 of audio amplifier 100B will be described.

[0104] Based on a user instruction using a remote controller (not shown), the HDMI receiving unit 217 of the TV 200B selects the output of the BS digital tuner 216. In this case, when the mode for outputting the TV broadcast audio signal from the external speaker 105 is selected as the audio output mode, the control unit 206B of the TV 200B controls the power supply of the audio amplifier 100B as in the case of the control signal Sc2 of FIG. The CEC signal to be turned on is transmitted, and the audio amplifier 100B is set to the power-on state based on the control of the control unit 106B.

[0105] The video signal included in the TV broadcast received by the BS digital tuner 216 is selected by the HDMI receiving unit 217 and input to the video processing unit 211B based on an instruction from the control unit 206B. The video signal that has been subjected to decoding processing and necessary processing by the video processing unit 211B is displayed on the display 212 as video.

On the other hand, an audio signal included in the TV broadcast is selected by the HDMI receiving unit 217 based on an instruction from the control unit 206B, and then input to the audio processing unit 203B and the digital audio output unit 218. The audio signal Sa3 input to the audio processing unit 203B is subjected to decoding processing and necessary processing to become an audio signal Sa4. The audio signal Sa4 is output to the volume control unit 204. However, in this case, since the sound is set to be output from the multi-channel speaker 105 of the audio amplifier 100B, the volume control unit 204 is controlled to be muted by the control unit 206B. No sound is output from the internal speaker 205.

The audio signal Sa3 output from the digital audio output unit 218 is transmitted to the digital audio input unit 121 via the output terminal 209, the code 800, and the input terminal 108. Based on the instruction from the control unit 106 B, the TV broadcast audio signal Sb3 (same as the audio signal Sa3) selected by the digital audio input unit 121 is decoded by the audio processing unit 103B and subjected to necessary processing. Signal Sb4. The sound signal Sb4 output from the sound processing unit 103B is output as sound from the multi-channel speaker 105 after the volume control unit 104 performs the same processing as in the first embodiment.

In the video / audio viewing system according to the present embodiment described above, based on the CEC signal indicating the power ON / OFF state sent from the audio amplifier 100 B, whether the TV 200B outputs the sound also with the internal speaker power? The process for determining whether to mute is the same as the process described in the first embodiment.

First, the case where the power switch 116 of the audio amplifier 100B is turned off and is in the “power off state” will be described. In this case, the audio amplifier 100B is in a stunned state, and no sound is output from the external speaker 105. Even in this state, the DVD player 500B or the DVD recorder is connected via the HDMI receiver 119 and the HDMI transmitter 120. The video signal and audio signal power of the selected one of the 700 can be transmitted to the HDMI receiver of the TV 200B.

[0110] For example, in a state where the video signal and audio signal of the DVD player 500B are reproduced using the display 212 and the internal speaker 205 of the TV 200B, the audio signal is output from the external speaker 105 of the audio amplifier 100B. The case will be described.

First, when the power switch 116 of the audio amplifier 100B is turned on, the audio amplifier 100B changes from the “power-off state” that is the standby state to the “power-on state”. Based on the control of the control unit 106B, the audio signal from the DVD player 500B selected by the HDMI receiving unit 119 is sent to the external speaker 105 via the digital audio input unit 121, the audio processing unit 103B, and the volume control unit 104. Transmitted and output as audio. Also, the control unit 106B transmits a CEC signal corresponding to the mute command to the control unit 206B of the TV 200B via the CEC line 901. When receiving the CEC signal, the control unit 206B of the TV 200B controls the volume control unit 204 in accordance with the flow of FIG. 4 described above so that the audio from the internal speaker 205 is not output.

As a result, sound is output from the external speaker 105 and sound from the internal speaker 205 is not output. That is, for the user, only by turning on the power switch 116 of the audio amplifier 100B, the external speaker 105 of the audio amplifier 100B can be made to be able to output sound, and the internal speaker 205 of the TV 200B can be turned off. it can.

[0113] Next, when the audio amplifier 100B changes from the "power-on state" to the "power-off state", the CEC corresponding to the mute release command is transmitted between the control unit 106B and the control unit 206B via the CEC line 901. A signal is transmitted. As a result, the mute of the external speaker 105 and the sound output to the internal speaker 205 are performed. The processing at that time is performed according to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. As a result, for the user, the external speaker 105 can be muted and the audio can be output from the internal speaker 205 of the TV 200B only by turning off the power switch 116 of the audio amplifier 100B.

[0114] (Embodiment 3)

Next, a video / audio viewing system according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described. The video / audio viewing system VA3 (not shown) according to Embodiment 3 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, respectively. It can be configured basically in the same manner as either of the shown audiovisual viewing systems VA1 and VA2. However, in this specification, for convenience of explanation, the video / audio viewing system VA3 has the same configuration as the video / audio viewing system VA2. However, in the video / audio viewing system VA3, the TV control unit 206B has a function of monitoring the communication state with the audio amplifier 100B in addition to the function of the video / audio viewing system VA2. Based on the monitoring result, control unit 206B controls whether or not sound is output from internal speaker 205.

[0115] In the video / audio viewing system VA3, as in the video / audio viewing system VA2, the control unit 206B of the TV 100B transmits the “silence command” or “silence cancellation command” transmitted from the control unit 106B of the audio amplifier 100B. Based on the CEC signal including the control signal, it is determined whether or not the sound is output from the internal speaker 205. However, in the video and audio viewing system VA3, the control unit 206B of the TV 200B further monitors the communication state with the audio amplifier 100B, and determines whether or not the sound is output from the internal speaker 205 based on the monitoring result. Decide.

[0116] The control of internal speaker 205 based on the CEC signal transmitted from control unit 106B of audio amplifier 100B by video / audio viewing system VA3 is the same as that in video / audio viewing system VA2 and will not be described. .

Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the control of the internal speaker 205 by the video / audio viewing system VA3 based on the communication state with the audio amplifier 100B will be described.

Here, monitoring the communication state with the audio amplifier 100B means monitoring whether or not communication with the control unit 106B of the audio amplifier 100B is possible via the HD Ml cable 900 as a communication means. . Specific cases where communication is impossible include the following cases. If the HDMI cable 900 is disconnected from the TV 200B or the audio amplifier 100B for some reason, the power cord plug of the audio amplifier 100B is disconnected from the outlet and power is not supplied to the control unit 106B. This is the case when the battery capacity decreases and the voltage drops significantly.

[0118] The flowchart in Fig. 7 shows the communication status using the CEC line 901 of the HDMI cable 900. The operation of the control unit 206B that monitors the state is shown. Hereinafter, processing related to communication state monitoring will be described with reference to FIG. 6 and FIG.

Here, for convenience, first, the audio amplifier 100B is in the “power-on state” by the same method as described in Embodiment 1 or 2, and audio is output from the multi-channel speaker 105. Suppose that In this state, the TV 200B receives the mute command to which the audio amplifier 100B force has also been transmitted and is in a state where no sound is output from the internal speaker 205.

[0119] The TV 200B is in the “power-on state”, and the control unit 206B constantly monitors the communication state with the control unit 106B of the audio amplifier 100B via the CEC line 901. In step S701, control unit 206B determines the connection state of HDMI cable 900 connected between TV 200B and audio amplifier 100B. Since the voltage or the like changes depending on whether or not the HDMI cable 900 is normally connected, the determination can be made by detecting the change. In step S701, when it is determined that the HDMI cable 900 is normally connected, for example, when the HDMI cable 900 is disconnected, the process proceeds to step S707.

[0120] If it is determined in step S701 that the HDMI cable is connected, the process proceeds to step S702. In step S702, the control unit 206B determines whether it is necessary to send a command to the audio amplifier 100B according to an instruction from the operation unit, etc., and if necessary, proceeds to step S703, otherwise proceeds to normal operation. .

[0121] In step S703, control unit 206B transmits a command via the CEC line. The control unit 206B transmits, for example, a command requesting a report of the on / off state of the power supply 115 to the control unit 106B of the audio amplifier 100B. In step S704, control unit 206B determines whether or not there is a response to the command from control unit 106B. If there is a reply, the control unit 206B determines in step S705 that communication with the control unit 106B is possible and proceeds to normal operation.

On the other hand, if there is no reply in step S704, the process proceeds to step S706. If no command is returned in step S706 after a certain period of time, control unit 206B determines in step S707 that communication with control unit 106B is not possible. . In this case, each part of the audio amplifier 100B is not properly controlled by the control unit 106B, and sound cannot be output from the multi-channel speaker 105. For this reason, the control unit 206 indicates that the audio speaker “1” is instructed in step S708, and cancels the mute of the internal speaker 205 that has been muted in step S404.

In the present invention, the mute of the internal speaker 205 is controlled by the volume control unit 104 based on the transmission of the CEC signal from the control unit 106B to the control unit 206B, as in the above-described video / audio viewing system VA2. It is executed by doing. However, it is needless to say that the mute release of the internal speaker force 205 in the present embodiment is effective even when the internal speaker force 205 is muted by any other method.

[0124] As described above, in the present embodiment, control unit 206B of TV 200B constantly monitors the communication state with control unit 106B of audio amplifier 100B. The control unit 206B controls the volume control unit 104 so as to output sound from the internal speaker 205 when communication becomes impossible for some reason. As a result, it is possible to avoid a situation where no sound is output from any of the speaker powers of the multi-channel speaker 105 and the internal speaker 205.

[0125] In the present embodiment, the communication status is monitored by two methods, ie, a method for detecting the voltage of the CEC line 901, etc. and a method for determining the presence / absence of a reply command. Even if a state in which communication is not possible occurs due to, the state can be reliably determined.

In the present embodiment, an example has been described in which the communication state is monitored using the CEC line 901 of the HDMI cable 900 shown in FIG. 6, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the incommunicable state can be determined by detecting a control signal transmitted between the control unit 206A of the TV 200A and the control unit 106A of the audio amplifier 100A in the first embodiment. It is also possible to determine the communication disabled state by detecting that the connection state between the devices is broken by some state change.

Industrial applicability

[0127] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a video and audio viewing system with improved operability of individual speakers required by a user. It can be widely used as a home theater system.

Claims

The scope of the claims

[1] A video / audio reproduction device that reproduces video and audio, an audio reproduction device that outputs audio from an external speaker, and a communication means connected between the video / audio reproduction device and the audio reproduction device, An audio / video viewing system that outputs an audio signal having also selected an audio signal power to either the internal speaker of the video / audio reproduction device or the external speaker of the audio reproduction device,

(a) The video / audio reproduction device includes:

(b) The sound reproducing device includes:

(c) The first control unit and the second control unit can communicate with each other via the communication unit, and the first control unit is based on information obtained through the communication unit. A video / audio viewing system for controlling the first audio output controller.

[2] The second control unit transmits a first control signal to the first control unit based on an ON or OFF state of the power of the sound reproduction device via the communication unit, The video / audio viewing system according to claim 1, wherein the first control unit controls the first audio output control unit according to the received first control signal.

[3] When the first control unit receives a signal indicating that the power is on as the first control signal, the first control unit outputs a signal indicating that the internal speaker is in a mute state and the power is off. 3. The video / audio viewing system according to claim 2, wherein when receiving, the first audio output control unit is controlled so that the mute state of the internal speaker is released.

[4] The first control unit transmits a second control signal instructing to turn on or off the power of the sound reproduction device to the second control unit, and the second control unit receives the second control signal. Based on the second control signal, the power on / off of the sound reproducing device is controlled. 3. The video / audio viewing system according to claim 2, wherein a first control signal based on an on or off state of the power is transmitted to the first control unit.

[5] A third control signal for instructing to turn on or off the power of the sound reproduction device is supplied from a third control unit provided in the third device having a reproduction function of a video signal and an audio signal. The second control unit controls on / off of the power source of the sound reproduction device based on the received third control signal, and the power source The first control signal based on the OFF state is transmitted to the first control unit.

2. The audiovisual viewing system described in 2.

6. The video / audio viewing system according to claim 2, wherein the first control signal is a signal compliant with a Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) standard.

[7] The first control unit monitors a communication state with the second control unit, and when the communication is possible, the first audio output is performed so that the internal speaker is in a mute state. The control unit is controlled so that the mute state of the internal speaker is canceled when communication is disabled.

2. The audiovisual viewing system according to claim 1, wherein the audio output control unit is controlled.

[8] The video and audio viewing system according to claim 1, further comprising an audio input selection unit that selects one audio signal from a plurality of audio signals.

[9] The audio input selection unit includes a first audio input selection unit built in the video / audio reproduction device and a second audio input selection unit built in the audio reproduction device. Item 9. The audiovisual viewing system according to item 8.

10. The video and audio viewing system according to claim 9, further comprising a first audio processing unit that performs necessary processing on the audio signal output from the first audio input selection unit.

11. The video and audio viewing system according to claim 9, further comprising a second audio processing unit that performs necessary processing on the audio signal output from the second audio input selection unit.

12. The video / audio viewing system according to claim 1, wherein the communication means is a signal line compliant with a High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) standard.

13. The video / audio viewing system according to claim 1, wherein the video / audio reproduction device is a television receiver, and the sound reproduction device is an audio amplifier.

[14] A video / audio viewing system is configured with an audio playback device that outputs audio from an external speaker. A plurality of audio signal powers, wherein the selected audio signal is output to either the external sound power of the sound playback device or its own internal speaker;

The video / audio reproduction device for controlling the audio output control unit based on information obtained through the communication means.

[15] The control unit according to claim 14, wherein the control unit controls the audio output control unit according to a control signal based on a power-on or off state transmitted from the sound reproduction device via the communication unit. Video / audio playback device.

[16] When the control unit receives a control signal indicating that the power is on, the internal speaker is in a mute state, and when receiving the control signal indicating that the power is off, 16. The video / audio reproduction device according to claim 15, wherein the audio output control unit is controlled so that the mute state of the internal speaker is released.

17. The video / audio reproduction device according to claim 15, wherein the control signal is a signal conforming to a Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) standard.

[18] The video / audio reproduction device according to claim 14, further comprising an audio input selection unit that selects one audio signal from a plurality of audio signals.

19. The video / audio reproduction device according to claim 18, further comprising an audio processing unit that performs necessary processing on the audio signal output from the audio input selection unit.

[20] The control unit monitors a communication state with the sound reproduction device, and controls the audio output control unit so that the internal speaker is muted in a communicable state, and in a communication incapable state. 15. The video / audio reproduction device according to claim 14, wherein the audio output control unit is controlled so that the mute state of the internal speaker is released.

21. The video / audio reproduction device according to claim 14, wherein the communication means is a signal line compliant with a High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) standard.

[22] A video / audio viewing system is configured together with a video / audio reproduction device that reproduces video and audio, and an audio signal selected from a plurality of audio signals is transmitted to an internal speaker of the video / audio reproduction device and an external device connected to itself. An audio reproduction device that outputs to one of the speakers,

With the selected audio signal as an input, an audio output control unit that controls audio output of the external speaker;

The sound reproduction device, wherein the control unit transmits a first control signal based on a power ON / OFF state to the control unit of the video / audio reproduction device via the communication unit.

[23] When the control unit receives a control signal for instructing to turn on or off its own power from the video / audio reproduction device via the communication unit, the control unit turns on or off the power based on the control signal. 23. The sound reproducing device according to claim 22, which controls off.

[24] The control unit is a third control unit provided in a third device other than the video / audio reproduction device connected to the video / audio viewing system. 23. The sound reproduction device according to claim 22, wherein when a third control signal instructing on / off of the power source is received, on / off of the power source is controlled based on the third control signal.

25. The sound reproduction device according to claim 22, wherein the first control signal is a signal compliant with Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) standards.

[26] The sound reproducing device according to [22], further comprising an audio input selection unit that selects one audio signal from a plurality of audio signals.

27. The sound reproduction device according to claim 26, further comprising a sound processing unit that performs necessary processing on the sound signal output from the sound input selection unit.

28. The sound reproduction device according to claim 22, wherein the communication means is a signal line compliant with a High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) standard.